3.5 HEARTS--Officer Clint Rivera is having a very, very bad day.

So bad it feels like the universe is against him. Why?

He's being kicked out his apartment, his closeted ex-lover--who he wasted many months on--is suddenly getting married after two weeks of leaving Clint. And this cheating douchcanoe had the audacity to send Clint an invitation to his engagement. After internally raging, he returns to his soon-to-be ex-home to find it destroyed by his lovely dogs.  This would drive a man to drink an ice cold stiff one, but he's out of that too after a clumsy catastrophe that caused all his bottles of beers to break.

He'd had enough. Life keeps taking the piss, so he figures his ex owes him all the alcohol after the last couple of shitty hours he's had.

Enter hunky deputy mayor of Clint's small New Mexico town, Hawk. The 6' 6" blue eyed man seems to always be underfoot whenever Clint least expects it. If only he could get over his crush on the hunky, boner inducing man. The best he can manage around Hawk is be adorably tongued tied. Besides, Clint's pretty sure Hawk's straight. Especially with his luck, the best he could do is keep Hawk in his spank bank.

Enter a boozy night where he's rescued by a patient, possessive stalker of a knight in shining armor: Hawk!

Hawk has changed his entire life waiting for his man to be free of that douchecanoe. And he swoops in just like a Cardeno C. possessive hero can do.

We're talking hot dirty talking, sweet courting and possessive insta-love.

And hot sex all over the place once Hawk gets his hands on his man. *coughs* *hint* An appliance might need to take a pregnancy test after a really rocking time.

I'm still fairly new to this author. Cardeno's contemporary seems to do it for me. I wanted possessive alpha that is intense in getting their man. It's exactly what was delivered. It's short enough not to bore and read in between novels.

Some of it was super quick. I mean the coupling lasted for a weekend before we're plopped into a HEA. Something tells me they're going to stick together forever and ever.

And if Clint ever gets second thoughts... well Hawk is just going to have to show him what his amazing tongue and "eight and half inches" can really do.

Newsflash: A fucking lot.

And I'm not mad at it.

Recommended for smutsters who want to read something possessive, hot and sweet all at the same time. 

You know, when you're in a mood. ;D



A copy provided for an honest review.

I think my love for this author's words are well documented. She's definitely one of my faves.

How? I'm still reading a series after how many years now? A decade? Little over, under?

I just open up the wallet and send over my ducats to anything remotely IAD related. I own the series, or the series owns me? Hmm...



So the Dacians...borne from one the best frigging vampires EVER, Lothaire. I will forever <3 this evil, diabolical creature. And the Dacians, his royal family are intriguing.

I finally got to this story so I can be prepared for Shadow's Seduction, Cole's first MM!


(I'm so ready)

So how was book #1? The Dacians, Salem and Lothaire saved this story.

Princess Bettina of demon realm Abbondae, half demon/half Soceri, pines for the unattainable, her childhood best friend, the demon man whore, Caspion the Tracker. They've just become immortal (that's how young these two are which helps explain why they acted so...young for lack of a better word). But Bettina's crush/love for Caspion is not returned nor will it ever be. And you can read between the lines from the start he was not attracted to her. He's the star of book #2 which answered the vibes I got from him. (The hints Cole wrote as well helped. ;P) Bettina is ravaged by a bunch of Vrekners and nearly dies.

Does she avenge her attack? No. She suffers from anxiety and PTSD. (This I had no issue with)

Prince Trehan of Dacia, is a cold blooded assassin that is the 'sword of Dacia'. Due to Caspion's meetup with a royal Dacian cousin, Trehan leaves to hunt the young demon down and finds his Bride who bloods him...Bettina.

Out of the entire Lore, the Soceri are one of my least favorites. Witches aren't normally my fave but my intro to the Soceri was Sabine, who is hands down my least fave heroine from the entire series.

Bettina is a close second.

Two heroines whose mates are too good for them, IMO. The only Soceri female who is worth rereads is Melanthe. I <3 her to pieces. Bettina was a doormat. She whines, rolls over for her guardians and lets everyone else rule her life. She is the next in line to rule the kingdom but she doesn't act like it. So soft.

Cole uses another 'immortal to the death tournament' plot device with virgin Bettina and her kingdom as prize. So it was like reading reused tea bag tea. Because you can read the same kind of tournament in the first bunch of books from Immortals After Dark with stronger female characters.

Granted, the tournament was entertaining with Bettina's guardians/ godparents as side characters. There is something about Morgana, the Queen of Sorceri that is funny to read.

And Salem, the foul-mouthed, cockney speaking, invisible phantom? I could read him all by himself, he was so entertaining. What a crass pervert! Loved him

We do get more of the vampire realm, Dacia. Their history is interesting. Trehan was a great hero - patient, calculating, confident and in love with an obstinate woman who thinks a crush with her uninterested friend is the best thing since sliced bread.

And Caspion was a dick and not worth the infatuation. I understand why Bettina was infatuated in the beginning, first crush, etc But c'mon...

So the impossible becomes possible, hot near sex (and actual sex happens), Nix shows makes a cameo--doesn't say a thing but my Valkyrie loving heart was ecstatic for the bit role she played, and LOTHAIRE shows why he's KANG for like 5 minutes.

The story ends with a HEA, an obvious send off as to who will be the players in book #2.

I'm wavering between a 3 and 4, so I'll rate 3.5 stars

3.75 HEARTS--Okay, now I can see the appeal of this author.



As my second Cardeno C,  it went a lot better than expected.

Maybe I needed to listen rather than read? This narrator Robert M. Clark did a really great job.

Or maybe it was the stalking and possessiveness a la crazytrain territory?



Don't judge. ;P


I have a weakness for those types in romance. (Do not condone it in real life)

And this was all subtle crazytrain: Level 4 or 5 from a certain basketball player hero. Nothing outrageous compared to threatening to kill their beloved if they ever left them. Just stalking and a little B & E (breaking and entering).

Present day Rafi is a real estate lawyer, with great friends and a good life. It was better than twelve years ago in high school, where he was bullied by basketball player Isaac Jones. He's over that...until he gets a blast from the past on an outing with friends from his childhood tormentor. Isaac is still as good looking as in high school, currently a NBA player, rich and shouldn't even be in Rafi's town, since Isaac plays 2000 miles away.

Isaac acts as if he and Rafi are friends and slowly yet firmly inserts himself into Rafi's life.

The tall, dark and handsome NBA player is straight to public. But his pursuit of Rafi says otherwise. Be damned of Rafi's feelings since he was bullied for years due to the other man.

Highly improbable. Isaac just shows up after 12 years and stalks Rafi for months and just assumes they'll be forever together?

Definitely illogical. Rafi was hurt. He is still hurt. Those feelings are deeply etched into his psyche. His bully breaks into his house, woos him into submission and doesn't fully explain himself...but he trusts him?

This is madness.

It's crazy.

And yet...it worked.

Rafi is the narrator of the story. Robert M. Clark did justice to his snark and the overall tone. The story doesn't make excuses for his feelings. Isaac is just crazy in love. It takes a while (we're talking days) but Rafi sees the Isaac Jones crazy light and loves being 'dominated' by the man.

Thank goodness this was short, I'm unsure how I'd feel with a novel of this. Normally, this kind of stuff in paranormal works for me. But I've read this author's paranormal and it didn't click.

A Shot of Forgiveness? I ate it up. Or I should say I was captivated enough to finish this audiobook in one sitting.

The sex was hot - these two couldn't get enough of each other once the boxers were pulled down. I guess that touch of cray did wonders for the libido. I guess B & E works like a box chocolates in Cardeno C's romancelandia. Whatever...it worked for these two.

Would read this and listen to this again.

I kind of wish Isaac was a little more accountable with his B & E, and stalking. His motivation doesn't justify his actions. No hint of remorse, it was just supposed to be accepted. Rafi protested a little but once the D entered the picture...so did the protests.

Other than that, I was entertained.

A copy provided for an honest review.

A Hearts On Fire Review

3.5 HEARTS--Actual questions I had while reading "Callum's Fate" by Dianne Hartsock:

'Can ghosts' cocks get hard?'

AND

'Do ghosts have precome? What's the flavor and viscosity?'

I stopped reading plenty of times to ponder these things, since there was massive ghost erections.

"Pity. You would have lost your mind to the pleasure I could show you." [...] It slanted a sly look at Sean, then put its lips to Donal's ear. "Next time, come alone, darling. You won't regret it. I'll make sure you scream when you come."

For my second Hartsock read, I'm learning she can turn up the heat with her sex scenes. They're erotic and mesh well with the way she writes her characters. And in this erotic, historical fantasy short/PWP, there was a lot of sex, starting at page one.

In Callum's Fate, don't expect a massive detailed plot. Expect stiff dicks, multiple partners and fantasy creatures. Oh...and double penetration and felching too. ;P

Callum, the star of the short, is on the run in the magical moors in Scotland. The ginger virgin gets accosted...in a pleasurable way by something that comes from nightmares but he just rolls with it. This starts as sort of horror, mostly fantasy tale where he's saved by fae, felt up by will-o-wisps and has a gangbang...because...the reason didn't seem to be as important as shedding that cherry. Side note: a virgin who just takes to cock so readily and massive ones (at the same time once) just doesn't seem as plausible.

But the PWP had charm, likeable characters and an interesting secondary plot with another gay couple that's being forced in a way to be a triad (with a female but the three are more a V than a triangle).

Had I known what creatures would have been involved, namely the ghost, I wouldn't have read this. Thank goodness the creatures are called by different names.

Other than reading the blurb, the book could have been set during any historical period. In fact, it might have been better to leave it as fantasy, because that's essentially what it is. Nothing really historical about it other than the Scottish human players. It could have been a imaginary world.

What was Callum running from in the beginning? Couldn't tell you. I don't think he even knows.

This story could have been better with a little more plot and filler because Donal/Sean (secondary characters) were more interesting than Callum. Though the ginger gets an A for effort on sex scenes. Flexible where it counts.

The ending was a little rushed for both couples...throuples? I don't even know. They switched partners a lot...let's say it starts with a virgin and a couple, ends with 2 triads who are in open relationships.

Recommended for readers who don't mind switch partners, not much plot and enjoys fantasy PWP. It's a quick read and cool concept overall.

4.5 Hearts--

"Tell me what you wanted because you have to know, Golden Boy, what you're getting here. What I'm giving you is like nothing you've ever had. Once you've had this, you're done. I'm branding you, going make you, your ass, mine"

Where to begin?

This itty bitty story about a boy who hurts and tries to keep it in packed a punch. The ideas were great, the way it's told is dark and quirky. It relied heavily on the ideas and I reveled in them. Sometimes a short story gives bones with some meat, it's enough to satisfy but not nearly enough for readers who crave the entire story.

"They Called Him Nightmare" by Deja Black is a story about two hurt paranormal beings who are damaged, they are the opposite of what others perceive them to be. Kai Bennu is dark skinned, quiet and otherworldly. He's earned the nickname "Nightmare" for his appearance in small town South Carolina. Peers and even some of the faculty ostracize him for being different, prejudiced for the color of his skin. Alec is the epitome of the little community in that small town, he's their "Golden Boy", their version of beauty with his golden skin, blonde hair and charming ways. But Alec is a monster and he knows it. He's arrogant in his supernatural ways...having to go high school when all he wants to commit is murder.Potential trigger: mention of dub-con sex scenes, bullying

Alec's allure fools everyone except Kai. Alec sees past the quiet facade, ignores the nicknames and studies the person. Both know there's an otherness but do nothing about it except for an electric touch. That continues to haunt them ten years later.

The way this story is told is kind of odd beautiful, a dark fairy tale - flowery/poetic prose, slowly unfurling facts. I'm not usually a big fan of this writing style but it worked with the setup. Told in alternating 1st POV, I feel like I know an equal amount of each main character and not nearly enough. And the mystery of what both men are exactly is one of the strongest parts of this tale. One of the anthology's shortest stories, it's split in two halves - high school and a decade later.

A decade later is fire, a tidbit of what I imagine is some magical times ahead.

Quibbles - The only way the reader knows Alec's "wealthy businessman" status is from the blurb. It's missed in the story. The blurb sort of gets some things right about the story but it doesn't showcase some of the best part's to Kai. Could the story be longer? Sure, but if it's ever expanded - I'd love to explore this paranormal world. Alec and Kai's background is enough to be novel length worthy. I also wouldn't have minded more information on the decade separated. Kai's background is sad and mysterious. And right before the pivotal turning point, a little more insight before that moment, as to what went in the aggressor's head, how he'd finally accepted his fate wouldn't have hurt.

The story also isn't perfect but the rough edges worked for me. I don't think this story will work for every reader. What the nickname represents, the bullying, the darker tone of Alec might be off putting for some. The way it ends is more of a beginning, but this is paranormal mates...so it's an implied HEA.

Alec didn't save Kai, nor did Kai save Alec. Their lives continued after their initial meeting and separation, but neither man was for the better.

To me, they sort of saved themselves in the end.

To me, they finally were ready to be mates as adults. They marked each other as equals but weren't ready while they were in high school.

It was an intense affair for both sides.

They called him Nightmare...

...but all I saw was a dream come true.

For the rest of the unicorns' #ShifterSundayFunday reviews:



A review copy provided for an honest review.